1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for showing running time by sections on a tollway and more particularly, to a technique for showing running time by sections on a tollway in which running time by sections is reported on a tollway after the analysis of basic data on vehicles passing by lanes or unit times, the data being collected from a toll collector.
2. Detailed Description of the Related Art
Recently, toll collector systems for toll roads have been computerized in order to easily find error or unfairness in toll management, in addition to reducing the personnel required in collecting tolls, arranging data and reporting, as well as rapidly and conveniently dealing with those operations. The systems are classified roughly into two kinds: a closed system in which a toll is allotted according to the kind of vehicle and the travel distance from an entrance toll gate to an exit toll gate; and an open system of charging a predetermined toll according to the kind of vehicle passing through a point where a toll gate is installed.
In a unit business office (which may be installed at every toll gate) with the closed toll collector, there are provided an entrance controller for managing entrance-side lanes, and an exit controller for controlling exit-side lanes. These entrance/exit controllers are connected to a business office's controller. The business office's controller collectively manages toll-related operations after gathering information from the entrance/exit controllers.
Meanwhile, a roadway has a passing vehicle detector called a loop coil for every predetermined distance. A roadway traffic management system collects and analyzes data sent from the detector, to thereby determine the overall amount of traffic and display it on displays installed at main points on the road. The information allows drivers to know the traffic status on the road.
However, the existing roadway traffic guiding system indicates traffic status merely at three or four levels such as flowing, moderately crowded, and very heavy or stopped, on the basis of the number of passing vehicles per unit time detected by the passing vehicle detector. For this reason, drivers are not provided with substantial information such as the expected travel time by sections on the road.